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Film‐screen mammography x‐ray tube anodes: Molybdenum versus tungsten
Author(s) -
KimmeSmith Carolyn,
Bassett Lawrence W.,
Gold Richard H.,
Rothschild Peter
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
medical physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.473
H-Index - 180
eISSN - 2473-4209
pISSN - 0094-2405
DOI - 10.1118/1.596422
Subject(s) - anode , mammography , materials science , tungsten , x ray , optics , filtration (mathematics) , contrast (vision) , nuclear medicine , electrode , medicine , physics , mathematics , cancer , quantum mechanics , breast cancer , metallurgy , statistics
Gridless screen‐film mammography at 23 kVp with a W anode (inherent filtration: 0.1 mm Al, added filtration: 0.025 mm Mo) can achieve contrast identical to that achieved with gridless film‐screen mammography at 27 kVp with a Mo anode (inherent filtration: 1.0 mm Be, added filtration: 0.025‐mm Mo). However, W‐anode film‐screen mammograms obtained at 23 kVp require more radiation than Mo‐anode film‐screen mammograms obtained at 27 kVp. The lack of contrast of W‐anode film‐screen images produced at the same kVp as Mo‐anode images was verified clinically and with a low contrast test object imaged over a range of densities. A step wedge test object was then used to match contrast between Mo‐ and W‐anode gridless film‐screen images at various kVp. The low contrast test object images verified the contrast equivalence of images obtained at 23 kVp for a W anode and 27 kVp for a Mo anode. A comparison of the two kVp for different anode materials was tested clinically on ten patients. The clinical and low contrast test object experiments were reviewed by three radiologists specializing in mammography.